


The Final Act

by BluebellsAndButterflies (hexedhyde), monochromekiss



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Elizabeth is ooc for the sake of comedy, M/M, She just looks stupid most of the time and we took advantage of it, We know she is much smarter than this, gets more serious later on, mostly crack at the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-22 07:50:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8278364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hexedhyde/pseuds/BluebellsAndButterflies, https://archiveofourown.org/users/monochromekiss/pseuds/monochromekiss
Summary: Funtom are expected to put on a grand show, so when the performers don’t turn up Ciel is forced to take matters into his own hands. But what sort of show will the people get when Ciel has to rely on his strange and talentless acquaintances? And could Ciel’s life be in danger during the final act?





	1. Preparing Backstage

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to yet another collab between Mono and I! We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it. -Blue

It was early morning when Sebastian spread open the curtains in his master’s room, he then approached Ciel’s bed and softly nudged him awake. “Young master, it’s time to wake up...” He whispered.

Ciel let out a soft sigh as he slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Nnh...good morning...” he mumbled.

“Good morning.” Sebastian replied, already getting Ciel’s clothes for the day.

Ciel stared at him for a moment with half lidded eyes, letting out a long yawn. “And… good night…” he mumbled, falling back onto the bed and nuzzling into the pillow.

Sebastian sighed. “Young master, you have a big day ahead of you… And I’m afraid we’ve already run into some trouble.”

“What trouble?” Ciel asked, his eyes still closed.

“It appears that the performers for Funtom’s magic show will not be able to attend.” Sebastian replied.

Ciel sat up suddenly, his eyes wide as he threw the covers off himself. “What?! But we’ve already invited a great deal of important people! They’ll be expecting a show!”

“I suppose we’ll have to find new performers in time for the show.” Sebastian replied.

“It will be hard to find new performers at such short notice. The show is tomorrow after all.” Ciel sighed, shaking his head.

“I’m sure we know a few talented people. The show will go on, I promise.” Sebastian said as he started to dress Ciel.

“I suppose they have their talents. But…” Ciel trailed off, grimacing as he remembered the utter chaos his various acquaintances had made when they’d needed to perform Hamlet.

“I doubt we will be able to find professionals in a short amount of time. We must make do with what we have.” Sebastian said, not very pleased with the idea either.

“Alright. Gather up the servants and contact Soma and Lizzie.” Ciel replied, looking thoughtful for a moment. “Arthur seems rather trustworthy although I’m not sure what talents he would have.”

“We should invite Arthur just in case he is actually useful for once.” Sebastian replied.

“I suppose so. Invite him as well.” Ciel said in a demanding tone.

“Right away, my lord.” Sebastian said, bowing before leaving to do as he was told. _Arthur better keep his hands to himself._

Later that day Ciel found himself sat behind his desk in his study, faced with what he considered to be the most tolerable of his acquaintances. All the servants stood in a line in front of him, with Prince Soma and Agni. Arthur stood at the far side of the room, seemingly too nervous to stand so close to the rest of them.

“So then...are you all aware why you are here?” Ciel asked, grimacing as he struggled to talk with Lizzie squeezing him tightly.

“I don’t care why, Ciiiiel! I’m just so pleased to see you!~” Lizzie chirped loudly, clinging to Ciel even as he tried to pry her arms off him.

Finny raised his hand. “Because the young master needs people for the talent show!”

“It’s not really a talent show Finny, but yes… I need people who can perform some sort of trick to keep our guests amused. So tell me what talents you all have?” Ciel asked.

“None…” Arthur mumbled.

“Is being beautiful considered a talent?” Soma asked.

“Oh! Oh!” Finny raised his hand again.

Ciel let out an annoyed sigh. “Right well...we’ll come back to you two later.” he replied, glancing over at Finny. “Yes Finny, what is it?” he asked.

“Oh.. I forgot, nevermind...” Finny said, looking defeated as he put his arm down.

“Good grief…” Ciel huffed, facepalming.

“Me and Meyrin are good at shootin’ stuff.” Bardroy said suddenly.

“Agni doesn’t get hurt if you break things over his head!” Soma said.

“It is true.” Agni added, nodding in agreement.

“Well that’s...good to know…” Ciel mumbled, giving Soma a curious look. He wondered how on earth Soma even knew that. “You two can do something with guns I suppose. But no flamethrowers or dynamite!” he said in a commanding tone as he looked at Bardroy and Meyrin.

“Understood, sir!” Bardroy replied, giving him a brief salute.

“What are we supposed to do, young master?” Finny asked eagerly, pulling Arthur closer to them.

“Y-Yes.. I am very confused as to why I am here...” Arthur sighed.

“Since you have an impressive amount of physical strength, we can use that. You can lift some heavy objects or something.” Ciel replied before giving Arthur a sympathetic look. “Arthur...if you don’t mind I’ll leave you until last.”

“Y-Yes, that’s totally fine!” Arthur said quickly.

“Cool, I get to lift things!” Finny said, lifting Arthur up out of excitement.

“Please put me down!!” Arthur squeaked.

Finny dropped Arthur. “Sorry!”

“Just objects, no lifting people!” Ciel demanded before glancing over at Snake who had been stood there silently. “Let’s see, can you perhaps make your snakes perform some sort of trick?” he asked.

“There are many things we can do, take your pick _—_ says Wilde.” Snake said.

“Anything that would impress our guests, just as long as it’s safe.” Ciel replied.

“We will try our best _—_ says Emily.” Snake replied.

“Very well.” Ciel said, giving Snake a satisfied nod before looking up at Lizzie who was still clinging to his waist. “Perhaps you could show off your impressive fencing skills?” he asked.

“No! Ciiiiiel! I told you, that’s a secret! Don’t tell anyone! It’s totally not cute!” Lizzie whined childishly, squeezing Ciel’s shoulders tightly as she shook him.

“Ah..Lizzie...it’s hard to breathe…” Ciel gasped, his cheeks turning pink.

“Lady Elizabeth, it’s best if you loosen your hold on my young master.” Sebastian said, offering a kind smile.

“Okay…” Lizzie sighed, pouting as she loosened her grip. “Ciel, I want to do something cute!~” she chirped in his ear.

“Ah, fine... you can introduce the acts. How’s that?” Ciel asked.

“Perfect! I’ll wear one of my most pretty dresses~” Lizzie screeched excitedly, making Ciel cover his ears and grimace.

“Lady Elizabeth is quite loud isn’t she...” Finny winced at Lizzie’s screeching.

“And what am I supposed to do?” Soma asked.

“Well what’s this breaking things over Agni’s head involve? It’s not really a talent.” Ciel replied, giving Soma a puzzled look.

“It’s very impressive! I’ll show you.” Soma picked up the first thing he laid his hands on and broke it over Agni’s head. “See? Agni’s totally fine~”

“Ah! That vase was an antique, you fool!” Ciel snapped before staring at Agni in bewilderment. “Are you really okay?” he asked.

“Yes, perfectly fine.” Agni replied with a reassuring smile, brushing away the broken fragments of porcelain from his shoulders.

“I guess that has its merits then. Just use something less dangerous like planks of wood.” Ciel said, giving Soma a stern look.

“Yes, yes. Use lots of glass.” Soma said already walking off, dragging Agni along.

“What?! No! I forbid you to use glass!” Ciel shouted, letting out a long sigh and sinking down onto his desk as Soma and Agni walked away. “Ah...well, I suppose that’s everyone isn’t it?” he mumbled.

“H-Hum..” Arthur slowly raised his hand. “You haven’t assigned anything to me yet.”

Ciel looked up at him, a little surprised. “Oh, right.” he sighed as he stood up from his desk, ignoring the others as he walked towards the door. “Follow me Arthur.” he said in a demanding tone.

“Y-Yes!” Arthur quickly caught up to Ciel.

Sebastian huffed and waited for them to be a good distance away before following them.

Ciel walked down the corridor, opening the doors to one of the other rooms and gesturing for Arthur to go inside. “This will be best if we are in private. It would be hard for you to perform with the others around.” he said, oblivious to Sebastian following them.

Arthur nodded and went inside, his cheeks flushing pink at Ciel’s suggestive choice of words.

“This is the first time we’ve been able to talk in private since we shared a bed, hasn’t it?” Ciel asked with a small chuckle as he closed the door behind them.

Sebastian groaned and leaned his ear against the door to listen in on the conversation.

“Y-Yes, I believe so…” Arthur replied, looking confused as to what was about to happen.

“Perhaps I should invite you to the manor more often. I rather enjoy your company.” Ciel said with a smile, rummaging through a chest of drawers as if he were looking for something. “But for now, I want to see what hidden talents you might have.”

“I-I don’t have any talents...” Arthur mumbled.

“Try to have more confidence in yourself.” Ciel sighed, finally pulling a deck of cards from the drawer and holding them up for Arthur to see. He gave Arthur a disapproving look, noticing how far away the man was still standing from him. “You’re going to have to come much closer to me for this.”

“I’m sorry..” Arthur shuffled closer to Ciel. “What do you have in mind?” He asked.

Sebastian clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

Ciel shuffled the cards for a moment before fanning them out, holding them towards to Arthur expectantly. He let out an annoyed sigh when Arthur just stared at him, failing to take one of the cards. “This won’t work if you keep acting so hesitant” he huffed.

“S-Sorry, I’ll pull it out now..” Arthur said, picking one of the cards from the deck.

Sebastian’s eyes flashed magenta, without visual context this all sounded wrong and it made his blood boil.

“Good, now watch my hands carefully.” Ciel replied, allowing Arthur time to look at the card he had chosen before he took it from him, placing it back on the deck. “Watch where my fingers go Arthur.” Ciel said sternly, using his index finger to discreetly slide the card into his sleeve before shuffling the cards again.

“Ah.. It went inside...” Arthur mumbled, looking amazed by the simple trick.

Ciel smirked as he discreetly pulled the card from his sleeve and returned it to the top of the deck. It was a simple trick that almost anyone could do, making the person believe the card had been shuffled along with the rest of them when it had been hidden in the performer’s sleeve the whole time. “You try now, Arthur. But you’ll need quick fingers for this.” Ciel said as he handed the deck to him.

“Hum…” Arthur tried to repeat Ciel’s movements “Is this okay? Or too slow…?” He asked.

“That’s fine” Ciel replied, impressed by how quickly Arthur had managed to learn the trick. “As I thought, you have incredibly skilled fingers Arthur.” he added, smiling as he tilted his head to one side.

“T-Thank you… I’ve never done anything like this before but I enjoy it.” Arthur smiled, his cheeks a little pink.

Ciel let out a content sigh, enjoying the simple company of Arthur learning card tricks. It was rare for him to have guests he actually enjoyed being with. “Since it’s you, I wouldn’t mind doing much more. I’d like to see what else you can do.” Ciel replied.

Sebastian held back, he didn’t have a valid reason to interrupt.

“I would like to learn more, you’re very good at this.” Arthur replied.

“It’s a shame you cannot stay the night. I enjoyed sharing a bed with you.” Ciel chuckled, leaning in close as he gestured towards Arthur’s long slender fingers. “For now, let’s see what else these skilled fingers of yours can do.” he said, completely oblivious to how suggestive his words sounded.

“S-Sure!” Arthur replied.

Ciel nodded as he took the cards from Arthur’s hands, letting out an annoyed huff as half of them slipped from his hand and fell to the floor. “Ah…” he sighed, kneeling down on the floor and starting to pick the cards up. He looked up at Arthur with a disapproving glare when he didn’t bother to move to help. “Arthur! Why am I the only one on my hands and knees here?” he snapped.

“I’ll help you!” Arthur said “Taking it all at once wasn’t a good idea...” He accidentally stepped on Ciel’s hand as he was moving over to pick up the rest of the cards.

Ciel let out a loud squeal of pain, clutching his hand. “Ahh, Arthur! That hurt!” he yelped, huffing as he tried to shoo the man away. “Just stop!” he snapped, deciding it would be easier for him to pick the cards up himself if Arthur was going to be that clumsy.

Sebastian took his chance and burst through the door, thinking Arthur was forcing himself on Ciel, he was about to hurt Arthur when he realized that there was nothing going on.

Arthur yelped. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt him!”

Ciel sighed and stood up, still clutching his hand where Arthur had stood on him by accident. “Sebastian, what is it?” he asked, giving his butler a curious look when he noticed how furious Sebastian appeared.

“I thought you were in danger, my lord… My apologies.” Sebastian replied, as he glared at Arthur who just shuffled away from Sebastian.

“Hardly. Arthur is just rather clumsy.” Ciel replied, turning away from Sebastian and handing the deck of cards to Arthur. “That’s enough for today. But keep practicing.”

“Yes, I see that now...” Sebastian said.

Arthur nodded. “I will!” He smiled.

“Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow for the show.” Ciel replied, returning the smile.

“Of course! Have a good day!” Arthur waved briefly before showing himself out the door.

Ciel waited until Arthur and the other guests had left before he returned to his study, letting out a long sigh as sat down at his desk. He looked up at Sebastian curiously, noticing he still seemed just as angry as before. “Sebastian… you don’t seem to like Arthur very much.” he commented.

“What made you think that?” Sebastian asked.

“You’ve seemed displeased about something ever since me and Arthur spoke in private.” Ciel replied.

“I was simply worried about your wellbeing.” Sebastian replied.

Ciel huffed, folding his arms across his chest. “Was there really any need for you to worry? I was simply teaching him a card trick.”

“My lord, it sounded like Arthur was forcing himself on you.” Sebastian said.

“What?...F-forcing himself...what do you mean by that?!” Ciel gasped, his cheeks flushed pink.

“What I mean is that your conversation sounded sexual from the beginning and when I heard you got hurt I thought that Arthur was doing something you didn’t want him to do.” Sebastian explained.

Ciel stared at him wide eyed, his cheeks turning bright red as Sebastian’s words finally made sense. “Ah...t-that...you fool! You must have a dirty mind if you assumed something like that!” he huffed.

“I was just worried.” Sebastian replied. “I want you to be safe.”

“You don’t have to worry about Arthur doing something so perverted.” Ciel huffed, completely unaware of how attracted to him Arthur really was. He let out a content sigh, looking down at his desk. “But..it’s… nice that you want me to be safe…” he mumbled, nervously twiddling his fingers together.


	2. Act I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the curtains rise and disaster ensues.

The next day was a very hectic morning for Ciel as he tried desperately to organise his various acquaintances. But while Ciel was busy, Alois was aimlessly walking around London with nothing particular to do.

The triplets watched him curiously as they stood in the corner of a shop, carrying bags of random itms Alois had bought out of boredom. “Master is annoying today.” Thompson said. “So whiny when he’s bored.” Timber commented. “Not cute at all.” Canterbury added.

“Be quiet!” Alois huffed, shoving another bag in Thompson’s arms. “Claaude, this boring!” He whined.

“But it was you who said you wanted to come shopping, your highness.” Claude replied in his usual dull tone.

“And now I’m bored of it!” Alois snapped, stomping his foot on the floor. “Entertain me!”

“There isn’t much else we can do, your highness. Unless…” Claude trailed off, looking thoughtful for a moment. “Unless perhaps you wanted to attend Funtom’s Magic Show. But I believe it would be hard to get tickets at such short notice.”

“A magic show you say~ We won’t need tickets.” Alois grinned.

“Then how do you plan on attending?” Claude asked curiously.

“We’ll sneak in and crash it obviously.” Alois said smugly as he walked out the shop with a skip in his step. “You can do that for me, can’t you?~”

“Yes, your highness.” Claude replied as he followed him. When they arrived at the large hall where the show was taking place, there was already a huge queue of people outside waiting to show their tickets so they could get in. “Your highness, we most likely won’t be allowed in if we try to enter through the front.” Claude said.

“Of course not.” Alois replied. “We go through the backstage entrance.”

“Yes, your highness.” Claude said as he walked down an alleyway at the side of the hall. As expected, the backstage entrance was securely locked but Claude easily broke it open, leaving the door off it’s hinges.

“That’s gonna piss Phantomhive off for sure.” Alois giggled, walking ahead. He grinned mischievously at all the commotion in front of him.

Ciel was right at the centre of all the chaos, rushing around and barking out orders as quickly as he could. “Sebastian! Make sure Soma only uses wood! I said no glass!” he shouted to the left, before letting out an annoyed groan as he heard Arthur squeal. “Finny! I told you to stop picking Arthur up!” he snapped to the right of him, his face flushed with anger.

“You’ll pop a vein if you keep acting like this.”  Alois giggled. “It’s quite chaotic back here, huh” He said, watching Finny drop Arthur on the ground and Soma trying to prove that it’s okay to break glass on Agni’s head.

“Yes it is…” Ciel sighed, letting out a long sigh. “So I don’t need you making things even worse. I order you to leave right now! And take them with you!” Ciel snapped impatiently, pointing towards Claude and the triplets.

“He’s so angry.” Thompson said. “But also so tiny.” Timber replied. “It’s funny when he’s mad.” Canterbury added.

“I’m not your butler, you can’t order me around.” Alois huffed. Here I was, being a good _friend_ by coming here to help you sort everything out but nooo!” He pouted. “You’re so scary when you yell at me, I don’t know if my heart can take it.”

“Oh shut up Trancy! We have never been friends!” Ciel huffed, folding his arms across his chest. “And how could you possibly help? None of you have any talents.”

“Rude! I’m probably more talented than you are, what do you do outside of shouting out orders all day?!” He snapped. “I’ll have you know that I can sing very god damn well and although these three look like talentless creeps they can do some things!” He said, pointing at the triplets.

“What can those three possibly do?” Ciel asked, rolling his eyes.

“We can spin lots of plates.” Thompson replied. “Don’t even need to use our hands.” Timber added. “But no one bothers to ask.” Canterbury replied.

“Because no one cares.” Alois said, rolling his eyes. “Claude can do a lot of things, he’s the best at emotional neglect!” He smiled.

Claude looked down at Alois with a quizzical look but didn’t say anything.

“Actually… he might end up being useful.” Ciel replied, staring up at Claude thoughtfully. “Sebastian, come here!” he suddenly shouted, still gazing up at Claude.

“Yes, my lord?” Sebastian asked, standing at his master’s side.

“Do we still have the swords and the large box for that illusion trick?” Ciel asked curiously.

“Yes, Finny was trying to battle Arthur a while ago…” Sebastian replied.

“Oh for goodness sake! I told him to leave Arthur alone!” Ciel sighed, before looking up at Claude again with a smug look. “Well never mind… Claude is a demon and won’t die even if the swords really stab him. So we’ll have Claude and Trancy perform that trick.”

“Oi! Don’t try to order my butler around! And that’s so boring, if you’re going to be forcing me to work then give me something exciting!” Alois huffed.

“I don’t want you to do anything exciting. Just wheel Claude on in the box, stick the swords in and then get off the stage again! I don’t trust you with anything else!” Ciel snapped.

“Fine!” Alois snapped back.

Ciel smirked before turning back to Sebastian. “Oh, I almost forgot… Sebastian, I need you to acquire a large amount of plates.” he said in  a commanding tone.

“Plates?” Sebastian asked, giving Ciel a quizzical look.

“Yes, plates! Now hurry it up!” Ciel huffed, shooing Sebastian away with his hand.

Sebastian nodded and started walking away, still confused about his master's request.

“Bassy!~” a familiar voice called out suddenly, Grell rushing towards Sebastian before she hugged him tightly. “I thought I’d find you in here! There’s posters up everywhere about your little master’s magic show~”

“How did you even get in here?” Sebastian asked, trying to wiggle out of Grell’s arms.

“Oh? Didn’t you know that the back door is off its hinges?” Grell asked, tilting her head to one side.

“The door is what?!” Ciel snapped angrily, turning to glare at Alois and Claude.

“Well knocking was certainly not going to work and the door was locked.” Alois shrugged.

“It was necessary.” Claude added.

“No it wasn’t! Go fix it immediately!” Ciel shouted, letting out an annoyed huff as he turned back to face Grell. “And you! Leave!”

“Aww, you’re so rude! I was going to offer to help in your little show.” Grell sighed.

“He’s ungrateful isn’t he?” Alois sighed. “Claude, fix the door.”

“Yes, your highness.” Claude replied before leaving to try and fix the door back in its place.

“I never asked for any of you to come here!” Ciel huffed angrily.

“But you should let me take your part. Don’t you know that I can sing really well?~” Grell asked, playfully poking Sebastian’s cheek

“Please stop touching me.” Sebastian sighed, leaning away from Grell.

“We should totally do a duet!” Alois said to Grell.

“Oh, we should! So you can sing as well?!~” Grell asked excitedly as she rushed over to Alois.

“What?! No! I forbid both of you from singing!” Ciel shouted, stomping his foot angrily on the floor.

“Yes! Oh this will be so amazing!” Alois clapped his hands together, purposefully ignoring Ciel.

“Oh, I have the perfect costumes in mind for us~” Grell replied.

“No costumes! No singing!” Ciel snapped angrily.

“Let’s go~” Alois took Grell by the hand and walked away.

“Ah, wait!” Ciel gasped, letting out a frustrated groan as the two of them walked away. “This will end very badly, I’m sure.” he sighed.

“Young master, may I ask you a very important question?” Finny asked, tapping Ciel’s shoulder.

“Yes...what is it?” Ciel asked, letting out another long sigh.

“What is my act again?” He asked, looking clueless.

Ciel groaned, his eye twitching slightly in annoyance. “You’re supposed to be lifting heavy objects to show off your strength!”

“Oh yeah! I’ll get on that!” Finny smiled and walked off, calling for Arthur.

“No lifting people!” Ciel called out after him, sighing again as he turned to Sebastian. “I have a feeling everything's going to go horribly wrong.”

“Yes, we’re off to a rocky start.” Sebastian replied.

“Indeed. We’ll just have to see what happens though.” Ciel sighed, giving Sebastian a serious look. “But there’s something I need to discuss with you in private.”

“Alright, shall we go to the tank room?” Sebastian asked.

“Shh!” Ciel huffed, slapping Sebastian’s arm before nodding. “Yes, but don’t speak so loudly. I don’t want anyone finding out about the final act we have planned until they have to.”

“My apologies, my lord.” Sebastian replied, leading the way.

Ciel followed Sebastian away from everyone else, discreetly closing the door behind them once they entered a private room. He grimaced a little as he looked up at the large glass tank in front of them. Although at that moment it was empty, Ciel knew that normally it would be filled to the top with water. It was for an escapism act, where someone was chained up inside the tank before climbing out of it through a hidden hatch at the bottom.

“Is it really safe?” Ciel asked nervously.

“If you have any troubles getting out then I will help you.” Sebastian replied.

“Thank you… that’s very reassuring.” Ciel mumbled sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he stepped closer towards the tank. “The chains are completely fake so I’m not worried about that. But I’m worried opening the hatch in time might prove difficult.”

“That is why we’re trying this without the water first. You should be able to open it in time though.” Sebastian said.

“We’ll see. But I… I can’t hold my breath for very long…” Ciel murmured.

“I promise to rescue you if you run out of breath.” Sebastian replied.

“Tch… I’d rather it not come to that!” Ciel groaned, turning to look at Sebastian expectantly. “Well let’s see how this goes. You can chain me up and put me inside, but don’t you dare put any water in yet!”

“I will not fill the tank with water yet.” Sebastian took the chains and wrapped them around Ciel, making sure they weren’t restraining his chest before he put Ciel inside the tank.

“It looks bigger on the inside.” Ciel commented, glancing around at the tank's’ glass walls before he started wriggling from the chains. He let out a relieved sigh when they fell away quickly and easily, allowing him to kneel down and open the hatch in one swift movement.

“You did very well, my lord.” Sebastian said.

“That seems simple enough.” Ciel replied with a confident smirk, returning to Sebastian’s side. “Alright, I’ll trust you enough to take part in this trick for the final act.”

“I’m sure everything will go as plan.” Sebastian replied.

“Yes, I’m sure it will.” Ciel said in agreement, completely oblivious to the individual stood listening on the other side of the door, quickly hurrying away before they were caught.

“I just hope everyone does what they’re told.” Sebastian said.

“Let’s go back. The show will be starting soon.” Ciel replied, opening the door of their room and stepping out into the now empty corridor. “We best find Arthur first. He’ll be the first act.”

“I wonder if he will be able to successfully do the trick.” Sebastian said.

“Let’s hope so.” Ciel sighed as he glanced around, looking for Arthur. He let out a surprised yelp as he felt Lizzie suddenly hug him tightly from behind.

“Ciiiieeel! I’ve been looking for you! You haven’t seen my dress yet! Isn’t it pretty?!” Lizzie chirped loudly in his ear.

“Ah...yes...very nice…” Ciel huffed, not even bothering to look at whatever she was wearing.

“H-Hum.. Ciel, I don’t mean to interrupt but I’m going on stage soon, right..?” Arthur asked, looking very nervous.

Ciel turned to look at Arthur, grimacing as Lizzie continued to cling to him. “Yes, just as soon as Elizabeth introduces you. Have you got your cards ready?” he asked.

“Ciiieeeel! Call me Lizzie!~” Lizzie squealed loudly.

Arthur winced at Lizzie’s loud voice and nodded. “Yes I have the cards ready…” He said, raising the deck of cards.

“Good.” Ciel replied, sighing as he tried to pull Lizzie’s hands off him. “Lizzie...the show’s about to start. You need to get ready.” he huffed.

“I know, I know! I’m going to introduce all the acts right?~” she asked, her eyes sparkling enthusiastically as she tilted her head to one side.

“Yes! Now come on…” Ciel huffed impatiently, tugging Lizzie over to the side of the stage. He looked up at Sebastian expectantly. “Sebastian, lift the curtain up.”

Sebastian did as he was told and raised the curtain.

Lizzie skipped on to the stage as soon as the curtain was raised, giving the audience a big warm smile. “Hello and welcome everyone! I’m Lady Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford and I’ll be introducing all the acts today!” she chirped, fanning out the pink fabric of her dress as she twirled. “I bought this dress just for this special occasion. Isn’t it pretty?~”

Ciel groaned at the side of the stage, his head in his hands.

“I have a bad feeling about this already.” Sebastian commented as he watched Arthur get ready to go on stage.

“Just get on with it…” Ciel sighed as he listened to Lizzie continue to talk about her dress and it’s various accessories.

“Oh! But anyway, our first act for today is a card trick performed by Arthur Doyle. And you know what else? He also writes lots of books! Isn’t that amazing?~” Lizzie asked.

Arthur entered the stage and waved, smiling nervously at the audience. “S-So! For this act I’ll need a member of the audience so can one of you come up on stage please?”

Ciel watched from behind the curtain as a young boy about his age from the front row stood up, climbing on to the stage and standing beside Arthur. “It should be fine. He did it okay when we practiced.” he mumbled softly.

Arthur held the deck of cards down to the boy. “Pick a card.” He smiled.

The boy picked one of the cars, sliding it out from the deck and looking at it. It was the two of hearts.

“So far so good…” Ciel sighed.

“Please put the card back on the deck.” Arthur said.

The boy placed the card back on the top of the deck, watching Arthur curiously.

As he was sliding the card up his sleeve discreetly it fell to the floor and Arthur’s face went pale.

The boy leaned down and picked up the card, pouting as he stared at Arthur. “Oi, you were trying to hide it on your sleeve. That’s cheating!” he huffed.

“Cheating? No, no! I was merely… Testing you! Yes, it was all to test your attention span…”

The boy puffed out his cheeks, glaring up angrily at Arthur.

Ciel grimaced as a long awkward silence followed. “Oh good grief… Sebastian, just get him off the damn stage!” he snapped impatiently.

Sebastian dropped the curtain with a sigh after the boy hopped off the stage. Arthur ran to backstage.

“Ah.. That was so bad…” Arthur mumbled.

“Yes, it was wasn’t it?” Ciel asked, glaring furiously at Arthur.

“I-I’m sorry! I was just really nervous and the card slipped and I’m sorry!” Arthur said quickly.

Ciel took a step closer to him, giving him a fake smile. “It’s okay Arthur, I forgive you… even though you were a complete fool and made a careless mistake, destroying my reputation on one of the most important events Funtom has ever held.” he replied, his eyes glaring at him and his voice filled with rage despite the smile he wore.

“I’m sorry...” Arthur mumbled, keeping his head down as he walked away.

“Good grief… this was a terrible way to start things off!” Ciel huffed, looking up at Sebastian. “I don’t know why I bothered trusting that fool.”  
  
Sebastian chuckled softly, pleased with how angry Ciel was at Arthur.


	3. Act II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Soma doesn't listen, Ciel gets jealous, and Grell and Alois have something else planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We were gonna update yesterday but we got distracted with the bluebells blog and future fics we're planning and ended up not writing... But we updated today so enjoy! (It gets serious soon, I promise) -Blue

Although the show had got off to a bad start, Ciel was determined to persevere and move on to the next act. He turned to look at Sebastian with a serious expression. “Go fetch Soma and Agni, and quickly!” he huffed.

“Yes, my lord.”  Sebastian replied, rushing to go find the two, grabbing Soma’s wrist before he could smash a glass pane on Agni’s head. “It is your turn to go up on stage.”

“Finally! I was getting bored without having someone to watch.” Soma smiled as he grabbed Agni’s wrist to pull him along.

On stage, Lizzie was busy talking to the audience about how many pretty dresses she had. Ciel let out an annoyed groan, gesturing for her to hurry it up.

“Oh! So anyway… the next act is a really impressive stunt performed by Prince Soma and his servant Agni. Also, you know what’s really amazing? They both come all the way from India~” Lizzie chirped happily before finally skipping off the stage and rejoining Ciel’s side.

“Alright, Soma. It’s your turn now...but no glass!” Ciel huffed.

“You worry too much, Ciel.” Soma said before walking on stage with Agni. “Like Lady Elizabeth said I’m Prince Soma and this is my servant Agni~” He smiled before turning to Agni. “Are you ready?”

“Of course, my prince.” Agni replied with a smile, bowing briefly to the audience.

Ciel watched them both from the side of the stage, letting out an annoyed sigh when he felt Lizzie tugging gently on his sleeve. “What is it, Lizzie?” he asked.

“Ciiiiel...where is India? Is it very far away?” Lizzie asked curiously.

“Yes, it’s all the way in Asia.” Ciel sighed.

“And is it a country or a city?” Lizzie asked, tilting her head to one side.

“It’s a country…” Ciel groaned, turning his attention back to the stage.

Meanwhile on the stage Soma was breaking planks of wood on Agni’s head, chuckling as the audience awed at Agni’s resistance.

“He can take more than this~” Soma said with an excited grin as he reached for the glass pane that was hidden below the wooden planks he’d used. “Get ready Agni!” He warned before he smashed the glass down on Agni’s head.

Agni simply stood still as he was hit with the glass, still smiling despite the blood dripping down his face.

“Ahh! I said no glass! I told him not to use glass!” Ciel yelped, clinging to the curtain angrily before he turned to look at Sebastian. “He’s going to harm the audience!”

“Shall I close the curtains, my lord?” Sebastian asked as he watch Soma reach for more glass.

“Yes! Do it quickly!” Ciel snapped, his eyes wide as he watched Soma.

Soma was about to break another glass pane when the curtains dropped. “I wasn’t done yet!” He pouted, looking at Ciel.

“You’re definitely done now! I said no glass and you disobeyed me!” Ciel huffed, folding his arms across his chest. “I don’t know why I ever trust you with anything important!”

“I don’t remember you saying anything about glass.” Soma said, looking confused.

“That’s because you never listen to me! I told you many times!” Ciel shouted, turning to look at Sebastian. “You heard me, didn’t you?!”

“Yes, you were quite loud.” Sebastian replied, as stared at the blood dripping down Agni’s face. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I still don’t remember.” Soma said.

“I’m perfectly fine. I’m quite used to this.” Agni replied as he gave Sebastian a reassuring smile.

Ciel grimaced as he stared up at him. “Good grief...that blood is going to drip all over the stage.” he huffed.

“Is this something that happens a lot?” Sebastian asked as he led Agni away from the stage.

“It does happen quite often. My prince likes to do this whenever he feels bored.” Agni replied as he followed Sebastian off stage.

“That’s an interesting hobby…” Sebastian murmured as he looked through a first aid kit. “Sit down.” he said, nodding toward a bench behind him.

“I don’t really mind as long it amuses him.” Agni said with a smile as he sat down.

Ciel followed the two of them off stage, puffing out his cheeks in a pout as he watched them from a distance.

“That’s very kind of you.” Sebastian replied as he cleaned the cuts on Agni’s head.

“As his loyal servant it’s only natural.” Agni smiled, leaning a little closer to make it easier for Sebastian to clean his wounds.

Ciel’s eyes widened as he watched, his chest suddenly feeling tight and his cheeks burning. “Sebastian…” he groaned without thinking.

“Yes, my lord?” Sebastian asked, only turning slightly to look at Ciel.

Ciel clenched his fists together, pouting as he stared at Sebastian. “Hhnn...S-Sebastian!” he snapped. He wasn’t quite sure why the sight of Sebastian so close to Agni annoyed him, but he wanted it to stop immediately.

Sebastian looked confused as he walked over to his master. “What is it that you need?”

“I...well...n-nothing! I don’t need anything!” Ciel huffed as he glared up at Sebastian.

“Then why did you call for me?” Sebastian asked, looking even more confused.

“Because...seeing you doing that was annoying me.” Ciel mumbled.

“My apologies, I was just helping Agni. May I ask why you found it annoying?” Sebastian asked.

“I don’t know!” Ciel squeaked, his cheeks flushing pink as he stomped his foot angrily.

Sebastian blinked. “Alright.. I won’t do it again I suppose.”

“Sebastian...what do you think of Agni? Do you like him?” Ciel suddenly asked, nervously fiddling with his coat sleeve as he waited for an answer.

“I enjoy his company. It’s nice to talk to someone I can relate to.” Sebastian replied.

Ciel whimpered slightly, staring up at him with wide eyes. “Do you prefer his company to mine?” he asked.

“Of course not. I admit taking care of you can be quite difficult at times but I enjoy your company more than I enjoy Agni’s.” Sebastian said.

“Ah...I’m glad…” Ciel mumbled, letting out a relieved sigh.

“My lord.. Were you jealous?” Sebastian asked.

“Ehh?! W-what?! Of course not!” Ciel scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. “I just don’t want you showing anyone else your attention. That doesn’t mean I’m jealous!”

“That is what being jealous means, young master” Sebastian replied.

Ciel’s cheeks flushed a dark shade of red. “Ah..it...it’s not! I just...you… as your butler, you should focus on me!” he gasped.

“I suppose you’re right.” Sebastian chuckled as he affectionately patted the top of Ciel’s head.

Ciel let out a relieved sigh, smiling as he stood still letting Sebastian pat his head.

“It’s my turn now isn’t it?” Finny asked Ciel, his eyes shining with excitement.

“Ah, yes it is…” Ciel sighed, pouting a little at the interruption. “Don’t get carried away. I don’t want you accidentally throwing anything into the crowd.” Ciel huffed.

“I promise not to mess up this time, young master!” Finny quickly saluted before running off to Lizzie’s side, an eager smile on his face.

Lizzie skipped back onto the stage as the curtain raised. “So everyone, we have something even more amazing next! One of Earl Phantomhive’s servants is going to be showing us his strength, which is really impressive because he’s actually quite small~” she giggled.

“I’m not small!” Finny whined before going on stage. He introduced himself and then lifted the large boulders that had been step up for him beforehand. “Well that’s getting boring isn’t it?” He leaned down to look at the audience, holding his hands out to the kids at the front who looked absolutely amazed by Finny’s strength. “How about I lift you little guys?” He smiled.

The children sat at the front clapped their hands excitedly, standing up and attempting to climb on stage.

“No! I said no lifting people!” Ciel snapped as he watched backstage, grimacing. “Ah, why does nobody listen to me?!”

Finny helped the children up and easily picked them up, earning a round of applause from the audience. It was difficult to hold them considering that they wouldn’t sit still in Finny’s grasp so they inevitably made him fall back on his back while they landed safely on top of him.

“You’re not strong at all!” One of them huffed as they stood up. The others giggled and sat on top of Finny for a while before getting up and jumping off the stage like the other one had.

Ciel sighed and shook his head, turning to look at Sebastian once more. “Well, that’s quite enough of that. Lower the curtain.” he huffed.

As the curtain dropped Finny hopped to his feet and ran to Ciel. “Young master, I’m so sorry! They just wouldn’t sit still so it was hard to hold them all the same time!! I’m sorry!” He said, bowing deeply as he blurted out apologies.

Ciel folded his arms across his chest, giving Finny a stern look. “I told you not to lift up any people.” he huffed.

“I forgot and just want to have some fun and I’m so sorry!” Finny said, his eyes watering.

“It’s fine. Luckily no one was hurt.” Ciel sighed. He grimaced suddenly as he remembered who was next. “Ah...I hope Trancy doesn’t fail us. I’m regretting asking for his involvement now.”

Meanwhile backstage Alois was standing with his arms stretched out as Grell measure him. “Are you sure you’ve done this before?” He asked.

“Of course I’ve done this before. Now just hold still~” Grell giggled as she wrapped the tape measure around Alois’ waist, leaning in close so she could read the number.

Claude stood nearby watching them, having not taken any interest at first. But as he watched Grell lean in so close, his eyes flashed magenta angrily.

“Alright, alright. Can’t you just tell me what you just tell me what you have in mind? I’m gonna blow if you keep it a secret!” Alois pouted.

“I have something very special planned for you. So just trust me, okay?” Grell asked, smiling as she gently tugged at the fabric of Alois’ shorts. “But we can keep these though. They look so good on you~”

Without warning Claude stormed over to them, grabbing Alois by the shoulders and pulling him away from Grell.

Alois gasped softly as Claude pulled him away. “What are you doing?!” He huffed, glaring up at his butler.

“That’s enough, your highness.” Claude replied, keeping a tight hold on Alois as he glared angrily at Grell.

“I guess I’ll get to work on our outfits then.” Grell sighed, flicking her long red hair back as she walked away.

“That doesn’t answer my question! Grell wasn’t doing anything so why did you get in the way?” Alois asked, now looking confused as he stared up at Claude.

“I just suddenly felt the urge to pull you away.” Claude replied, his face expressionless as he stared down at Alois.

“That..!-” Alois cut himself off as he suddenly came to a realization, a grin stretched across his face. “Were you jealous, Claude?”

“I don’t believe so, your highness.” Claude replied, looking thoughtful for a moment. “When that reaper leaned in close to you, I suddenly wanted to pull you away and make sure no one was ever allowed to get that close to you again. That’s all.”

“S-So you were jealous…” Alois murmured, his cheeks turning pink.

“Is that what being jealous feels like?” Claude asked curiously.

“Yes, you idiot!” Alois huffed, tearing his gaze away from Claude as he felt his cheeks burn.

“I see. This feeling is rather inconvenient.” Claude replied in his usual dull way. “I’ll just have to let no one else ever lay a hand on you.” he added.

“Shut up!” Alois snapped suddenly, trying to hide his red face by looking at the ground as he pushed Claude away.

“You seem unhappy, your highness.” Claude said as he looked at Alois curiously. “My apologies. But I would find it preferable if only I can ever touch you.”

“I told you to shut up!” Alois stomped his foot on the ground before storming off to Grell’s side, covering his face.

Grell tilted her head to one side, looking at Alois curiously. “Oh? What’s wrong with you?” she asked, softly poking his cheek.

“Claude’s an idiot!” Alois whined, plopping down on the nearest chair, he dropped his hands from his face to fiddle with his stockings. “Did you hear what he said?! It  was so embarrassing!”

“It must have been if your face is still so red.” Grell giggled. “What did he say to make you react like that?”

“He was jealous when you got really close to me and said that he wants to be only one to touch me and no one else!” Alois replied.

“Did he now? Aww well, that’s rather sweet in an odd way, isn’t it?” Grell asked.

“He’s probably just toying with me…” Alois mumbled.

“I don’t think so. He really did seem upset didn’t he?” Grell asked before letting out a long sigh. “But you know, most men are useless and can’t express their emotions. He probably doesn’t even realise it yet.”

“Do you think he really has feelings for me..?” Alois asked, looking up at Grell.

“I really do. But he probably just needs a little nudge to realise.” Grell replied as she smiled back at Alois. “Why don’t you help him figure it out?”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Alois asked, his eyes widening with curiosity.

“Show him your feelings and then he will realise his own.” Grell said, smirking as she leaned in close to Alois. “Flirt with him. Tempt him. That’s the only way men ever realise anything~”

Alois nodded. “I’ll do that. Thank you.” He smiled.

“No problem, sweetie.” Grell giggled before holding up a rather revealing shirt in the same rich black fabric as Alois’ shorts. “This will fit you perfectly.” she added, holding it against Alois’ chest.

“TRANCY!” Ciel screeched loudly before Alois had a chance to reply. He stormed over to them angrily, his cheeks puffed out in anger. “Trancy, you’re holding things up! Get on the stage now!”

“Calm your tits, I’ll be right there.” Alois rolled his eyes and changed into the shirt Grell gave him, throwing his other clothes on the ground. “Shoo!” He said, shoving Ciel softly in another direction.

“Just hurry it up! Go and get Claude and stick him in that damn box!” Ciel huffed, his eyes widening as he looked down at the revealing top Alois wore. “That...that’s not appropriate! It’s far too revealing!” he snapped, grimacing at Alois’ bare stomach.

Alois leaned in close to Ciel’s ear and whispered “Why? Does it make you feel weird down there?~”

“W-w-what?! Of course it doesn’t! Don’t say such lewd things!” Ciel gasped, his cheeks turning a dark shade of pink as he shoved Alois away from him.

Alois giggled. “I guess your butler is more your type~” He said as he skipped away with Grell close behind.

“T-that’s....I...just shut up!” Ciel snapped, stomping his foot as he walked back towards the stage.

“How cute, he still doesn’t know our plan does he?” Grell giggled.

“He’s as oblivious as ever~” Alois replied with a smirk.

“Well that works out well for us~” Grell chirped, climbing into the large box that was meant to be used for the sword act.

“Trancy!” Ciel roared again impatiently.

“I am going you impatient mut!” Alois snapped, wheeling the large box to Ciel’s side.

“Annoying brat.” Ciel huffed under his breath as he watched Lizzie twirling around on stage.

“So the next is really amazing! It’s a special magic trick!” Lizzie squeaked.

As Lizzie turned to skip off the stage, Ciel glanced up at the large box curiously. “Is Claude already in there?” he asked.

“No, Grell’s in there.” Alois said, sounding sarcastic as he wheeled the box on stage, stopping when he reached the middle. “I could do the stupid magic trick the chihuahua over there had planned but I promise you this will be way better~” He giggled.

“Something better?! What the hell is he doing?!” Ciel gasped as he watched.

Grell suddenly jumped out of the box, wearing an elaborate red and black dress that showed off her bare legs. “Against the little watchdog’s wishes, we’ve prepared a special song for you~” she called out to the audience.

Ciel’s cheeks flushed pink as he stared at their revealing clothes. “Ah! I said no singing! I said to put Claude in the box! And the clothes are inappropriate! Why does nobody listen to me?!” he shouted.

Sebastian placed a hand on Ciel’s shoulder. “We should at least see where this is going.” He said, looking intently at Grell and Alois as they approached the two mic stands Finny had quickly placed down surprisingly unnoticed.

“They’re going to sing terribly, I just know it!” Ciel groaned, holding his head in his hands. His eyes widened and he looked up in surprise when Grell was the first to sing, her voice surprisingly good.

“That was unexpected.” Sebastian commented. His eyes widened when Alois joined in, his voice matching perfectly with Grell’s. Not long after they started matching their movements in some of choreography to go with the equally obscene lyrics.

Ciel grimaced, his cheeks flushing red as he listened to the various sexual innuendos in the song. “Ah, they’re being too perverted! Get them off the stage!” he huffed, despite the fact the audience’s cheers and claps.

“But they’re enjoying it.” Sebastian replied, looking at the audience.

“Yes, well…” Ciel mumbled, glaring angrily at Alois and Grell before letting out an annoyed huff, walking away from the stage. “Their song is stupid!” he snapped, folding his arms and pouting as he sat on a chair in the far corner backstage.

When the song was over Alois and Grell bowed, their breathing a little heavy from it all, they wore matching grins as they looked at each other and then walked off stage.

“That was amazing! You did so well!” Alois said.

“Aww, sweetie, you did wonderfully too!” Grell replied, pulling Alois into an affectionate hug.

Alois returned the hug. “I didn’t get the chance to tell you but your dress is fucking beautiful.”

“Oh, thank you! You’re adorable, you know that?” Grell smiled.

“Thank you, I do know~” Alois giggled.

Ciel let out an annoyed huff as he watched them, still sitting in the corner with a sulky expression.

Alois pulled away from the hug and grinned at Ciel’s annoyed expression. “What’s wrong midget, are you mad that our performance was the best one?”

“Your song was inappropriate and your outfits are terrible!” Ciel snapped, stomping his foot angrily. “Not only that, but the audience will still be expecting that magic trick at some point.” he sighed.

“Okay first of all, how is this terrible?” Alois asked, motioning towards Grell’s dress. “It’s a hundred times better than the dresses Elizabitch wears. And second of all, are you never content? Did you hear them? They loved us! We _saved_ this pathetic excuse for a show.” He said, crossing his arms.

“Just shut up!” Ciel huffed, shoving Alois away as he stormed over to Sebastian. “Sebastian, I need you to do something.”

“What is it, young master?” Sebastian asked  
  
“This is an order! Get Claude in that damn box, no matter what it takes. You two will be going on next, and performing that trick.” Ciel replied in a demanding tone.


	4. Act III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the final acts are performed, and Ciel's life is in danger.

Throughout Alois and Grell’s act, Claude had remained backstage as he waited for his master to return. He gave Alois a slightly disapproving look when he returned, his eyes wandering over the revealing outfit he wore. “You should change back into your normal clothes, your highness.” he said in his usual dull tone.

“Why should I? I like it.” Alois replied, looking down at himself.

“It’s best if others don’t see you like this.” Claude replied, removing his waistcoat and draping it around Alois’ shoulders.

Alois snuggled into the waistcoat. “It’s a little too late isn’t it? Everyone else saw me.”

“I’d rather they hadn’t.” Claude sighed, his eyes flashing magenta for a brief moment as he placed his hands on the blonde’s shoulders.

Alois smirked. “Are you jealous? Did you want me to save this for your eyes only?~”

Claude gave Alois a quizzical look as he stayed silent for a moment. “I’m not jealous. But I would rather only I see you like this.” he replied.

“Again, that’s what being jealous means.” Alois huffed, his cheeks turning pink.

Claude didn’t say anything but simply pulled Alois closer to him, holding him against his chest.

“You’re so confusing…” Alois sighed, hugging Claude around his waist.

Sebastian approached them. “Faustus, we need to perform the act your master failed to perform.”

Claude let out a disappointed sigh as Sebastian approached. “Are you and your tiny master incapable of doing it yourselves, Michaelis?”

“My young master and I are already performing together in the final act.” Sebastian replied. “I don’t want to do this with you either.”

“Your highness, will you be alright on your own for a moment?” Claude asked as he looked down at Alois.

“I guess… Don’t take too long.” Alois huffed.

“I’ll return soon.” Claude replied as he pulled away from him before giving Sebastian a disapproving glare. “Let’s do this quickly, Michaelis.”

“Then hurry up.” Sebastian replied, returning the glare before making his way to the big box Grell was previously in, wheeling it over to his master.

“It’s about time. Elizabeth is already introducing you.” Ciel huffed impatiently as he looked up at Sebastian, his arms folded across his chest.

“My apologies but Faustus took a long while to detach himself from his master.” Sebastian replied.

“Did he?...” Ciel asked curiously as he stared up at Claude for a moment. “Well, never mind that. Just as long as you two perform this properly.” he sighed, glancing at Lizzie as she skipped off the stage.

“We will.” Sebastian replied, opening the box for Claude to step inside.

Claude gave Sebastian a furious glare as he stepped inside.

“Ciiieel… will he really be okay in there?” Lizzie asked curiously.

“Of course, Lizzie. It’s only a magic trick.” Ciel replied with a sly smirk. “Time for you to go on.” he said as he looked up at Sebastian.

“Yes, my lord.” Sebastian replied, wheeling the box on stage. After a brief introduction Sebastian pierced the box with one of the swords without warning.

Claude let out a small grunt from inside the box. “At least give me some warning, Michaelis.” he growled angrily.

“That would take the fun out of it now wouldn’t it?” Sebastian chuckled, pushing another sword through the box.

“You’re being unnecessarily forceful.” Claude hissed, his eyes flashing magenta as the sword pierced his body much harder than he expected.

“Stop complaining.” Sebastian replied, pushing another one in with much more force.

“You’ll regret this.” Claude growled in response.

Ciel watched from the side of the stage, shaking his head despite the awed gasps from the audience. “Sebastian...calm down!” he huffed.

Sebastian reduced the amount of force he put into pushing the swords but was still quite forceful. “Oh. It appears I’ve run out of swords.”

Claude let out an annoyed groan, stepping out of the box once his wounds had already healed. He bowed to the audience, earning a loud applause from them.

“Finally something goes right.” Ciel mumbled softly as he watched.

After bowing to the audience Sebastian wheeled the box off stage while Finny dropped the curtain. “That was a lot more entertaining than I thought it would be.”

“Yes, I can guess why you found it interesting.” Ciel sighed, rolling his eyes. “Go and fetch Bard and Meyrin.” he added in a demanding tone.

“Yes, my lord.” Sebastian replied before going off to as he was told.

Claude glared angrily at Ciel as he walked past him before returning to his master’s side, blood still staining his uniform in some places.

Alois noticed the stains on Claude’s shirt and stroked one with the tip of his finger. “Does it hurt?” He asked, getting on his tiptoes “Would you like me to lick it all better for you?” He whispered, licking the shell of his ear.

“It no longer hurts, your highness.” Claude replied, his eyes flashing magenta for a moment as he stared at Alois intently. He wrapped his arms around Alois’ waist without realising, pulling the blonde even closer.

Alois gasped softly. _I guess flirting really does work_. “Would you look at that, I got a reaction from you.” He giggled.

“You seem surprised, your highness.” Claude whispered as he continued to hold Alois close to him.

Meanwhile Ciel waited by the side of the stage anxiously for Sebastian to return. “Sebastian! Where are they?!” he snapped impatiently.

“Sorry, young master! Finny was messin’ with Arthur again.” Bard said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“We’re very sorry for the wait, yes we are.” Meyrin added nervously.

“It’s fine. Just don’t get carried away out there.” Ciel sighed, waiting for Lizzie to skip back off the stage. “The stage has already been prepared for you.” he added as he gestured for them both to walk on.

“Alright. Come on, Meyrin, let’s blow their minds.” Bard said with a confident smirk as he walked on stage, twirling his handguns on his fingers.

Meyrin followed him on to the stage, removing her glasses as she carried two rifles with her.

They started off by shooting cans and other targets with perfect accuracy making the audience awe.

“Let’s change this up a little yeah?” Bard grinned as he caught a flamethrower Finny threw his way off stage.

“The young master said we shouldn’t use that, yes he did.” Meyrin said anxiously.

Ciel’s eyes widened as he watched them from the side of the stage. “No! I said no flamethrowers! They could burn the whole place down!” he snapped.

The audience gasped when the flames emerged.

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing!” Bard said confidently waving the flamethrower around as he spoke without noticing, the flame caught the curtain on fire.

“Damn it! That idiot!” Ciel huffed, turning to Sebastian with a serious look. “Sebastian put the fire out and get those idiots offstage!”

“Yes, my lord.” Sebastian said, rushing to do as his master ordered.

Bard then walked off stage with an apologetic smile. “That was unexpected huh...” He chuckled.

“This is why I told you not to use a flamethrower.” Ciel sighed, shaking his head.

“I just wanted to shake things up a little.” Bard sighed.

“Never mind! Just go and stand out of the way!” Ciel huffed before turning to Sebastian. “Go and get Snake. He’s supposed to be performing next.”

“Yes, my lord.” Sebastian replied.

“Snake, you’re up next.” Sebastian said, tapping Snake’s shoulder.

“Oh, we thought that the show was going to end because of the fire _—_ says Oscar.”

“The fire is out and the young master wants the show to go on. Now come on.” Sebastian said.

Snake stood up, the snakes on him rearranging themselves around his bare torso. He followed Sebastian to Ciel’s side.

“We are ready _—_ says Wilde.”

Ciel nodded, waiting for Lizzie to finish her introduction. “Alright, you can go on stage now.” Ciel said to Snake.

Snake nodded and briefly introduced himself, he then noticed how everyone was gossiping and heard some faint comments about his snake-like skin.

“They’re gossiping again… _—_ Says Donne…” Snake’s cowlick trembled as he walked off stage, hugging himself and keeping his head down.

Ciel sighed as he watched Snake off stage. “Oi, what’s wrong? You didn’t even perform anything.”

“Sorry, Smile... _—_ Says Emily…” Snake mumbled. “The whispers don’t let allow focus _—_ Says Goethe…”

“It’s alright. We’ll move on to the next act.” Ciel sighed, giving Snake a sympathetic look.

Snake nodded and made his way to backstage with his head still hanging low.

“Sebastian, go and fetch those three servants of Trancy’s. And bring lots of plates.” Ciel said in a demanding tone.

“Yes, my lord” Sebastian said, still unaware of what act the triplets were going to perform. “You three, make yourselves useful and get on stage.” He handed Timber a pile of plates.

“The butler’s so demanding.” Timber huffed. “So is the little brat.” Thompson commented. “They’re both so annoying.” Canterbury added as the three of them walked on stage.

Timber placed the large pile of plates on his head, balancing them all perfectly as he spun around before throwing them to Thompson. “We’re the most talented.” Timber said. “Can do many things with these.” Thompson replied as he spun the large plates on his index finger. He then handed them to Canterbury who proceeded to juggle them without breaking any. “More impressive than those other acts.” Canterbury added.

“They’re actually pretty good…” Ciel mumbled in response as he watched them from the side of the stage.

“So that’s why they needed plates… It’s disturbing that Trancy and his servants have been a part of the best acts.” Sebastian commented.

“I suppose it’s fortunate that they came after all.” Ciel replied before letting out an annoyed huff. “Tch...I still don’t care for Trancy’s singing or his costume!” he huffed.

As the triplets finished their act they bowed to the audience, earning a large round of applause. “We did well.” Thompson said. “The audience liked us.” Timber added. “But the midget still won’t thank us.” Canterbury remarked as they walked off stage.

“You were surprisingly successful.” Sebastian said to the triplets.

“You shouldn’t be surprised.” Thompson replied. “We said we were talented.” Timber added. “But no one ever listens.” Canterbury sighed.

“Well then...that’s everyone except us…” Ciel commented as he leaned against the wall, suddenly feeling incredibly anxious.

Sebastian nodded. “Shall I prepare the tank now?”

“Yes…” Ciel mumbled, letting out a long sigh.

“Ciiiieeelll! What’s the act you and Sebastian are doing?” Lizzie asked curiously as she tilted her head to one side.

“It’s an escapism act.” Ciel replied.

“What’s escapism mean?” Lizzie asked with a confused look.

“Never mind, just go on and say that...the audience will most likely know.” Ciel groaned as he gently pushed Lizzie back towards the stage.

“You wouldn’t happen to be nervous would you?” Sebastian asked as he returned with the tank full of water.

“O-of course not, you fool! Why would I be nervous?!” Ciel huffed.

“Because there is a chance this won’t work.” Sebastian replied. “And you’re afraid you won’t be able to get through the latch.”

Ciel’s breath hitched slightly. “That...you...you promised you would save me if I need you to. So I trust you.” he mumbled.

“My promise still stands.” Sebastian said.

“I’m sure it won’t come to that. This worked fine when we practiced.” Ciel replied, although he still sounded unsure. He waited for Lizzie to return from the stage before he walked on, gesturing for Sebastian to follow him.

Sebastian followed Ciel on stage and introduced their act, noticing that the audience was already showing interest and some others concerned stares.

“Are you ready, my lord?” Sebastian asked as he finished wrapping Ciel in the chains.

“As ready as I’m ever going to be.” Ciel sighed.

“I promise to rescue you if something goes wrong.” Sebastian said, picking Ciel up in his arms.

“J-just...put me in the tank…” Ciel whimpered nervously, biting his lip as he tried to give Sebastian a defiant look.

“Alright.” Sebastian lowered Ciel into the tank and closed the lid, stepping back, he covered the tank with a red curtain.

Ciel held his breath as he was lowered into the tank, quickly managing to wriggle out of the chains around him. Just like when they had practiced the chains were easy to remove, and he leaned down to open the hidden hatch in the bottom. Ciel’s eyes widened and his heart started beating faster in panic as the hatch refused to open. He tugged on the handle frantically but it still refused to move.

 _Damn it...I can’t hold on...Sebastian!_ Ciel thought in panic, his lungs burning in his chest as he banged his fist against the glass in desperation.

Sebastian’s eyes widened as he saw Ciel struggle to open the hatch and he immediately opened the tank. He pulled Ciel out of there and lay him down on the floor. The audience gasped and Finny took it as a cue to lower the curtain.

Ciel lay against the floor, his eyes closed as he weakly coughed up a large amount of water. “Ah...S-sebastian…” he gasped.

“Are you alright?” Sebastian asked, sounding worried as he brushed Ciel’s hair away from his eyes.

“I thought I was going to drown.” Ciel whimpered softly, reaching up and tugging on Sebastian’s sleeve. “The hatch wouldn’t open!”

“It should’ve opened, everything was fine when we practiced.” Sebastian said, holding Ciel close to his chest.

“Well it wasn’t fine just now!” Ciel gasped, clinging to Sebastian tightly. “You fool, you should have checked it thoroughly!”

“I did. I checked it before I left to fetch the water.” Sebastian replied. “Someone must have rigged it.”

Ciel pulled away from Sebastian, his fists clenched tightly together. “Go and check it now. If someone’s tampered with it then the handle will be pulled shut from the outside.”

Sebastian nodded and stood back up. “Please follow me, I do not want someone to have another go at you.” He started wheeling the tank off stage so he could drain it.

Ciel slowly stood up, coughing a few more times as he followed Sebastian off the stage. “Well?...” he asked, leaning against a nearby wall for support.

Sebastian was only able to open the hatch from the outside, his eyes flashing magenta. “We were right. Someone tampered with the hatch.”

“As I thought…” Ciel mumbled, clenching his fists as he turned towards his butler. “Sebastian, this is an order. Make sure nobody leaves. Because there’s no doubt somebody backstage just tried to murder me!” he shouted.

 


	5. The Final Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they find the culprit and he suffers the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo~ This is the final chapter of TFA we hope you enjoy! -Blue

While Sebastian and Ciel were checking the water tank used in the final act, everyone else was gathered in a large storage room backstage. Most of them were still completely unaware of what had just happened to Ciel, although Finny had seen everything from the side of the stage and was fidgeting by the door nervously.

Before Finny had a chance to try and attract everyone’s attention, Ciel suddenly stormed into the room with Sebastian following close behind. His hair and clothes were still wet from being in the tank, although he now had a towel wrapped around his shoulders. “Sebastian… lock the door. No one is leaving this room.” Ciel ordered.

“Yes, my lord.” Sebastian replied, quickly moving to lock the door.

“What the shit happened to you?” Alois asked. “And why are you locking the door?!” He huffed, crossing his arms across his chest.

“It appears he doesn’t want anyone to leave.” Claude said in his usual dull voice.

“I’m locking the door because one of you just tried to murder me!” Ciel snapped angrily, his fists clenched together. “One of you sealed up the hatch on the water tank so I almost drowned!”

“Ahh, Ciiieeel! Are you okay?!” Lizzie gasped hysterically as she dived on to Ciel and hugged him tightly, causing Ciel to let out an annoyed groan.

“Young master, are you alright?!” Finny gasped.

“Whoever that person is they’re very smart. Shame Sebastian probably saved you. Why didn’t we think of that, Claude?” Alois pouted, looking up at Claude.

Bard angrily jabbed Alois with his elbow.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine! Both of you calm down!” Ciel huffed as he gave Lizzie and Finny a stern look. He then turned to angrily glare at Alois and Claude. “How do I know it wasn’t you two responsible? You two have the most obvious motive.”

“It wasn’t us. My highness didn’t ask me to murder you today.” Claude replied.

“My only intention today was to trash this shit-show.” Alois replied, leaning on Claude. “Although murdering you would’ve been far more entertaining I didn’t do it. I might, but not today."

Ciel rolled his eyes at Alois’ reply, turning to look up at Sebastian. “You checked the tank was safe to use just before we went on stage, correct?” he asked.

“Yes I did. The tank was perfectly fine at the time.” Sebastian replied.

“In that case, the culprit would have needed to tamper with the hatch in the short period of time Sebastian and I were on stage. It would need to be someone small enough to crawl underneath the tank without being seen.” Ciel stated matter-of-factly before turning to glare at Alois. “I believe you’re small enough Trancy.”

“I’m not going to lie, that would’ve been possible but it wasn’t me. I sound like a bloody broken record. Have you stopped to consider Finnian? He can fit inside the tank just fine.” Alois said.

“Finny was at the side of the stage. It would have been impossible for him to crawl under the tank without Sebastian noticing.” Ciel replied sternly.

“What about the snake one over there?” Alois asked, nodding towards Snake who was looking rather relaxed.

“It’s possible for him to fit under there but…” Ciel mumbled thoughtfully as he looked over at Snake. He then shook his head, glaring furiously at Alois. “Stop wasting my time trying to shift the blame! Why would my own servant want to kill me?! It’s obvious that you are bloody responsible!”

“Why wouldn’t your servants try to kill you? You’re obviously high maintenance. Those three probably think of killing me at least once a day.” Alois said, looking over at the triplets. “You’re just blaming me because it’s easier.” He rolled his eyes.

“Master is very annoying.” Thompson said. “Would be nice to kill him.” Timber added. “But it would upset Miss Hannah.” Canterbury sighed.

“Enough! I’m tired of your pathetic excuses!” Ciel snapped, looking up at Sebastian with a serious look. “Sebastian, this is an order. Restrain Alois Trancy!”

“What?!” Alois gasped, his eyes widening.

Sebastian’s eyes flashed magenta as he silently held Alois’ arms behind his back to restrain him. Alois struggled against Sebastian’s hold, trying to get away from Sebastian’s iron grip.

Claude lunged forward and grabbed Sebastian’s neck in one hand, his other squeezing his arm. “Get your hands off my highness.” he growled angrily, his eyes flashing magenta.

“I am following my master’s orders. I will not let go until I am ordered to do so.” Sebastian replied, his voice was strained but his grip on Alois only tightened, making the blonde wince.

Claude glanced at Alois for a moment before he tightened his grip on Sebastian’s neck, forcefully slamming him into a nearby wall. “No one is allowed to harm my highness. Let go or I will tear you to pieces!” he hissed.

“I’m not afraid of you. You can’t kill me no matter how hard you try.” Sebastian replied, still not letting go of Alois he just glanced at the boy as he also hit the wall with a whimper.

“Perhaps not.” Claude replied as let go of Sebastian before suddenly lunging at Ciel. “But I can easily kill your master.” he added, holding Ciel’s arms behind his back with one hand.

Ciel’s eyes widened in fear as he let out a surprised yelp, struggling against Claude’s grip.

“Let my master go!” Sebastian growled, now holding Alois by the neck.

“Not until you unhand my highness!” Claude growled, twisting Ciel’s arms back painfully with one hand while the other squeezed his neck.

“Ahh, Sebastian! This is an order...let go of Trancy!” he yelped in panic.

Sebastian’s eyes flashed magenta once again and he let Alois fall on the floor with a thud, he glared furiously at Claude. “I’ve let your highness go now get your disgusting hands off my master.” He growled.

Claude threw Ciel to the ground before rushing over to his master’s side. “Your highness, are you alright?” he asked, ignoring Sebastian and kneeling down beside Alois.

“Do you think I’m fine?! You threw me at the wall, you idiot!” Alois snapped.

“My apologies, your highness. I was attempting to force him to let you go, but I didn’t think it through.” Claude replied.

“Apologies my ass! You still threw me at the bloody wall!” Alois huffed.

“I didn’t mean to harm you. I was trying to protect you.” Claude said as he gently pulled Alois against his chest.

“You’re terrible at it.” Alois mumbled, nuzzling Claude’s chest.

Ciel let out a pained gasp as he struggled to get up, glaring over at Claude and Alois. “Damn you Trancy...so you refuse to come peacefully?” he huffed.

“Are you kidding me?! No I won’t come peacefully when I’m not even guilty of anything!” Alois said, glaring furiously at Ciel.

“You still claim you’re guilty?! Your damn butler just tried to kill me again, right in front of everyone!” Ciel snapped.

“It was necessary to protect my highness. If I really wanted to, I could have killed you before your butler could save you.” Claude replied, his eyes flashing magenta as he held Alois protectively against his chest.

“Exactly. And if I wanted to kill you I wouldn’t have done with so many people around, that’s just stupid.” Alois added.

“Ahh, Ciiieeel! That was so scary just now!” Lizzie yelped as she hugged Ciel before he had a chance to reply. “But also… Lord Trancy was in here the whole time you and Sebastian were on stage.” she added.

“Are you sure?! Why didn’t you mention that?!” Ciel huffed.

“Well, because...the butlers were being so scary! I didn’t want to interrupt!” Lizzie whined.

“Because waiting for one of us to die before revealing that information is a good plan. Thank you so much Lady Elizabeth, for not interrupting and instead just watching me get thrown at a wall and your precious Ciel being strangled.” Alois smiled, tilting his head softly.

“If Lady Elizabeth is correct then it couldn’t have been Trancy.” Sebastian said.

“Ahh, that’s so mean! Lord Trancy can be so scary too!” Lizzie whined, hugging Ciel tighter.

“Ah, yes...I suppose it can’t be him then…” Ciel huffed, trying desperately to free himself from her grip.

“It took the your mess of a fiancée to squeal surprisingly useful information for you to actually understand that you were wrong.” Alois rolled his eyes.

“Then who wasn’t here? One of you must have left to tamper with the tank and try and kill me!” Ciel snapped impatiently.

“But I don’t think anyone was missing, no they wasn’t.” Meyrin squeaked nervously.

“Everyone was here.” Bard said. “Maybe the culprit already left.”

“But… how could they already leave? Anyone in the audience wouldn’t have been able to sneak backstage surely…” Ciel mumbled thoughtfully.

“The backstage door was taken down. Maybe Claude didn’t fix it properly.” Arthur said.

“No, I definitely fixed the door back in place.” Claude replied.

“Even if the door has been secured, any normal person would have been spotted on their way backstage.” Ciel sighed. “Finny, did you see anyone who wasn’t supposed to back here?” he asked with a serious look.

“N-No! We were the only ones here, right Arthur?” Finny said.

“Yeah… I guess I didn’t see any strangers come in...” Arthur mumbled, scooting away from Finny.

“For goodness sake…” Ciel groaned, holding his head in his hands.

“Hmm, is there a way someone could close the hatch without actually leaving this room?” Grell asked as she tilted her head to one side.

Ciel looked up, gazing at her thoughtfully before he glared back at Claude. “I wonder…” he mumbled.

“It wasn’t Claude. He was with me.” Alois huffed, wrapping his arms around Claude. “He’s too much of an idiot to do that anyway. He’d probably just throw the tank at the wall with you inside it.”

Ciel gave them a suspicious look. “Sebastian...you’ve fought with Claude before. Do you think using his spider threads to reach the hatch from in here would be possible?” he whispered to his butler.

“I doubt that would be a possibility, his threads aren’t malleable enough to do something like that.” Sebastian whispered back.

Ciel let out a frustrated sigh. “Then who could be responsible? Who could close the hatch without leaving the room? And what on earth would they use?!” he huffed.

Sebastian looked them all over, his eyes stopping on Snake. “What about Snake? One of his snakes could’ve done the job for him.”

“But why?” Ciel asked, staring at Snake with a confused expression.

“One of his snakes is missing.” Sebastian replied.

Snake’s cowlick suddenly straightened as his eyes widened. “Emily is off exploring —says Donne.”

“Exploring where exactly?!” Ciel snapped, his fists clenched together angrily.

“...The area…—says Keats.” Snake replied, looking at the floor.

Ciel eyed him suspiciously before turning back to Sebastian. “Find the snake, that’s an order.” he whispered.

Sebastian nodded and left to search for the snake. Meanwhile Snake decided he had nothing to lose now that he had been found out so he sent Keats in Ciel’s direction, watching intently as it slithered up the boy’s body and worked it’s way into wrapping itself around his neck.

“What?! Ah...Sebas...tian.” Ciel gasped, desperately tugging at the snake around his neck as he struggled to breathe.

Sebastian returned quickly, holding Emily’s limp body in his hand he threw the snake aside and rushed over to Ciel’s side, ripping Keats away from his master’s neck. Snake growled, glaring at them both.

Ciel fell to his knees, taking deep breaths as he clung to Sebastian. “Ah...you were right...it was him…” he panted softly.

Sebastian picked Ciel up in his arms, holding his master close to his chest, he glared furiously at Snake who flinched as the butler’s eyes flashed magenta. “How should we punish him?”

“I can think of a fitting punishment.” Ciel huffed before he turned to glare at Snake. “But first...why would you betray me like this?! You had nowhere to go and I gave you a home and a new life!”

* * *

 

 

_Snake was roaming the manor’s halls when he stopped to listen in on what was going on in his master’s study._

_“Young master, what do you plan to do if Snake finds out what really happened to his family?” Sebastian asked as he poured Ciel a cup of tea._

_Ciel froze for a moment, glancing at Sebastian before he looked back down at his desk. “I doubt he will ever find out. There’s no evidence left to suggest we were responsible for their deaths” Ciel huffed._

_Snake’s eyes widened and he growled under his breath as he clenched his fists tightly “You’ll get what you deserve, Smile…” He thought._

 

* * *

 

 

“I see...so you heard everything that night?” Ciel asked, his face softening for a brief moment as guilt flooded over him. He had been responsible for the Circus members deaths after all, but he quickly shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. “Well, that aside… I can’t risk keeping you alive anymore. Not now you will no doubt continuously try to murder me.”

Snake suddenly lunged himself at Ciel, trying to grab his neck while also trying to push Sebastian away but he was interrupted in the process of wrapping his fingers around his master’s neck by the butler who held him out at arm’s length all while still holding Ciel close to his chest.

“Keep your hands off the young master.” Sebastian growled.

“Sebastian, hurry up and restrain him.” Ciel sighed, leaning against his butler’s chest.

Sebastian nodded, gently setting his master on the floor he looked around for any kind of loose rope but there was none. He then saw the dead snake on the floor and picked it up, wrapping it tightly around Snake who looked horrified.

“Emily!” Snake gasped, tears stinging at the corners of his eyes.

“Shut up! You no longer deserve sympathy!” Ciel snapped. He waited for Sebastian to finish restraining him before he spoke again. “Sebastian, fetch the tank and fill it with water. It makes sense for us to give him a fitting punishment for his crimes.”

“Yes, my lord.” Sebastian replied and left to do as he was told quickly returning with the water filled tank. “You can be quite cold sometimes.” He commented as he opened the tank.

“There’s nothing cold about this, is there? I simply plan to punish him using the same methods he used to try and kill me.” Ciel replied with a stern expression.

“I suppose you’re right.” Sebastian said as he lowered Snake, who still tried to escape the butler’s arms, inside the tank.

Ciel grimaced a little as he turned away, not wanting to watch his former servant struggle until he died. “Things really should never have come to this. Even if you heard everything, what difference did it really make? I still allowed you to live in my manor and gave you another purpose in life, and even a new family” Ciel huffed as he shook his head. “You should have just let it go. Killing me wouldn’t have solved anything. Your family is already dead and will never come back.”

“Isn’t that the same situation you’re in, young master?” Sebastian asked, watching Snake struggle before looking at Ciel. “Your goal is to get revenge for you parents is it not? You know it won’t bring them back yet you’re still looking for the ones who murdered them.”

“Shut up! I offered him a second chance before he found out. But no one else was going to save me that night. My only choice was to form a contract with you!” Ciel huffed.

“Hm… Would it be weird if I said I’m glad you made a contract with me?” Sebastian asked.

“Of course you are glad. You desire my soul, don’t you?” Ciel asked, rolling his eyes.

“That is not all I desire from you.” Sebastian replied.

“What?!” Ciel gasped as he quickly turned around to face Sebastian. He shuddered slightly from the sight of Snake in the tank behind his butler but focused his attention back on Sebastian. “What is that supposed to mean? What else could you possibly desire from me?!”

Sebastian leaned down and tilted Ciel’s chin up to look him in the eyes. “I desire to not only assist you in fulfilling your wish but I also want to make you smile and protect you, not just because I must but because I don’t want to lose you… Ciel.”

“Ah..y-you…” Ciel stuttered as he stared at him with wide eyes, his cheeks turning bright pink. “Sebastian, you’re not just teasing me are you? Don’t lie to me…” he mumbled.

“The first order you gave me does not allow me to lie to you.” Sebastian replied.

“Y-you fool! I’m glad we made the contract too! Because I enjoy being with you and having you by my side!” Ciel huffed, suddenly grabbing Sebastian and burying his head in his shoulder to hide his scarlet cheeks.

Sebastian chuckled. “Must you always yell at me?” He asked, wrapping his arms around Ciel’s waist.

“It’s your own fault for saying such embarrassing things.” Ciel mumbled as he nuzzled into Sebastian’s neck.

“My apologies, young master but I had to tell you.” Sebastian replied.

Ciel let out a content sigh before slowly pulling away from him. “Sebastian, dispose of Snake’s body. We’ll tell everyone he ran off before we had a chance to capture him.”

“Yes, my lord.” Sebastian said as stood up.

Meanwhile backstage Alois didn’t bother to wait around for Ciel and Sebastian to return so he tugged at Claude’s sleeve. “Let’s go, this is boring!” He huffed.

“Yes, your highness.” Claude replied as he walked out with his hands placed protectively on his master’s shoulders.

“Claude is acting strange.” Thompson said as the triplets followed them out. “He keeps touching master.” Timber replied. “It’s rather creepy.” Canterbury added.

“Claude, why did you decided to protect me by throwing Sebastian and I at a wall? It’s not like you care for me so why did you do it?” Alois asked curiously.

“I thought I didn’t care about you or your well being” Claude replied, suddenly tightening his hold on Alois’ shoulders and pulling him closer. “But when Michaelis touched you, I was filled with rage and suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to protect you.”

“You’re lying…” Alois mumbled, looking away down at the ground.

“I’m not lying to you.” Claude replied, kneeling down beside him and taking his face in his hands. “You are very important to me and I wish to protect you, Alois.” Claude whispered softly.

Alois blushed heavily, his eyes watering. “Y-You do..?”

“Yes, I care about you a great deal.” Claude smiled, softly caressing his master’s cheek.

“You’re smiling… And it’s not disgusting…” Alois murmured, looking up at Claude.  
  
Claude chuckled softly before he picked Alois up in his arms. “We best head back now, your highness.” he said as he carried Alois bridal style, holding the blonde tightly against his chest.


End file.
